Your Winter
by Unoriginality
Summary: Thor doesn't know where they went wrong, but he has to make at least one more attempt to reach his brother.


Thor just couldn't understand where they'd gone wrong. Oh, he knew where his father had gone wrong, so many times over. Thor had lost a lot of respect for his father when he found out about Loki's true parentage and guessed what Odin's intentions had been for the boy properly named Loki Laufeyson.

But where had he gone wrong? He'd been oblivious to Loki's pain as the child in the shadows, yes, but even then, they'd played together, fought together, done nearly everything together. Surely that counted for something. Something. Anything. Something worth more than that hatred in his brother's eyes. Thor couldn't stomach it, couldn't stand the look of ... of glee Loki had when he thought he'd killed him. That smile when he said "shall we test that?"

But he'd caught something. Something he wasn't sure he'd actually seen. Both times he told Loki to come home, to end this together, something had wavered in Loki's eyes. Just briefly, before that arrogant smile had come back. "Sentiment," he'd said. A sentiment Loki had shared at one time, hadn't he? Loki had told him to never doubt that he loved him, and Thor believed that, believed it still.

Leaving Mjolnir in his room, Thor wandered down through the palace halls until he came to the holding cell they'd built for Loki while Odin decided what to do with him. They couldn't exile him, he'd proved that he could still make chaos without the bifrost or Odin's help to get around. Keeping him was dangerous, but there seemed no other choice at the moment.

It didn't look much different from what Fury had set up for containing Banner's 'other guy' that they used on Loki. It was clear on all sides, with guards posted. Loki could influence a man's mind, but not without his words, and that trap over his mouth prevented that. He couldn't project an illusion outside of those walls, so that did him little good, and any energy he could summon couldn't break through the walls. As far as they could see, Loki was effectively trapped.

Loki was sitting on the floor in the middle of his cell, crosslegged, bound hands resting on his knees and head bowed. He lifted his head as Thor drew near, looking up at him with that same contempt that had marred his face when he tried to kill Thor. That vicious smile. Thor looked down at him, trying to find those traces of his brother he'd seen, seeing nothing but the man who had let loose an army to destroy an entire world. Just to be a petty king over a petty people.

Thor dismissed the guards, much to their protest; the king had set them there, and it was only under threat to Mjolnir's wrath did they obey the prince. That seemed to have Loki's attention, who watched the guards go with a worried curiosity, then stood, facing his brother, bound and gagged.

"Why did you do it, Loki?"

Loki stared at him, unanswering. How could he answer? He couldn't speak. That didn't matter to Thor, he wanted to see regret in his brother's eyes, something to say he was merely mad with some disease, some outside influence and that it wasn't truly him that did it.

Loki just stared at him, silent, unmoving. He saw nothing but a stubborn pride in his brother's eyes.

Thor's fist hit the glass. "Damnit, Loki! I know we have wronged you. I know I never saw your pain. I was a child, with a child's selfishness, but I still loved you! I still do! Does that mean nothing to you?" He unballed his fist, hand splayed against the glass as he lifted his other hand to do the same. "I'm sorry, I will apologize until the day you say enough, if you'll just _come home_. I will speak to the Allfather on your behalf, I know you tried to once for me. I'll even ask him to step down if I have to, to get you your freedom, your forgiveness. I've already forgiven you, Brother, just. Please. Why?"

Loki stepped over, pressing his hands against the glass where Thor's were, then leaned his forehead against the glass and closed his eyes. Thor rested his head against Loki's through the glass. "Come home, Brother, please. I'll do anything you ask. Just don't look at me like that again."

For a brief moment, Loki remained unmoving, then he opened his eyes and looked up at Thor, his eyes wet as Thor had sworn they'd been those two times before. There was a smile in his eyes, and Thor laughed. "Sentiment, I know. Please, you're my brother. You said once to never doubt that you loved me and I still don't, Brother. Come home. Whatever madness you experience, we will work through it, together. Whatever wrongs I have done you, I will spend the rest of my life undoing them."

Loki dropped his hands, taking a step back, and shook his head, before moving to sit back down in the center of his cell. Thor felt his expression start to crumple as his heart broke. "Please," he begged. "Anything, just let us be brothers again."

For an instant, there was something lost and haunted in Loki's eyes. Something small and scared and looking to his brother to chase away the boogieman under their beds. Then Loki closed his eyes and looked down at his hands. He clenched his fists and looked back up, regret clear in his eyes.

Thor smiled hopefully. "I'll talk to the Allfather, you'll be released, you have my word."

Loki shook his head. Thor had no idea what it could mean, except that his brother, despite his regret, did not want to be family again. Again, Thor pounded his fist on the glass. "Loki!" he shouted. "Please, what do you want from me? Anything and it's yours."

No. Loki bowed his head again and refused to look back up at Thor. Thor could feel his heart breaking in his chest. "Very well, Brother," he said quietly, voice thick. "But know that my offer stands, no matter how long or what else you may do. I will never rescind my forgiveness, nor my love."

Loki's eyes darted up, that amused smile there again. Thor smiled faintly. "Sentiment, I know. Always."

With that, he turned and left Loki to his thoughts, whatever they might be, still hoping that his brother would return. He still wanted to know where he'd gone so wrong to bring about the madness that he saw on Earth, but he'd seen a glimpse of his brother, and he held onto that hope with all his strength.


End file.
